David A. Gall

David Allen Gall (December 17, 1941 – August 1, 2021) was a Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey, who ranked fifth in lifetime wins by North American jockeys and who was the first jockey in the United States to ride eight winners on a single racecard. Gall was born in Rose Valley, Saskatchewan.

David A. Gall
OccupationJockey
Born(1941-12-17)December 17, 1941
Rose Valley, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedAugust 1, 2021(2021-08-01) (aged 79)
State College, Pennsylvania, United States
Career wins7,396
Racing awards
United States Champion Jockey by wins (1979, 1981)
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award (1996)
Honours
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1993)
Significant horses
Leading rider at Fairmount Park (14 times)

Riding career

Gall began his career riding at tracks in Regina, Saskatchewan, Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta, and Winnipeg, Manitoba before going to the Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia. He would follow the path of other Canadian jockeys like George Woolf and Johnny Longden and head south to tracks in California. Eventually he made his way to Illinois where, dubbed "The General" by fans and the media, he would dominate racing at Fairmount Park Racetrack and Cahokia Downs.

Achievements

During a 43-year career, Gall was a two-time winner of the United States national riding title, winning more races than any other rider in 1979 and 1981. On October 18, 1978, he won eight races on a single racecard at Cahokia Downs[1] and won seven races on five occasions.[2]

Honors

In 1993, Gall was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.[3] In 1996 he was the recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award, given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.

Gall retired from riding on September 18, 1999, ranked fourth all-time among jockeys for races won in the history of American Thoroughbred racing with 7,396 victories from 41,709 mounts. He has remained in the industry as a trainer/owner until retiring in 2011.[4]

Death

Gall died on August 1, 2021, at his home in State College, Pennsylvania.[5][6]

References
  1. "Jockey Rides 7 Winners". The New York Times. August 17, 1983. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  2. "55 proves no limit for top jockey Gall". Chicago Sun-Times. July 25, 1997. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  3. "David A. Gall at the Canadian Horseracing Hall of Fame". Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. 1993. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  4. "Trainer Profile | David Gall". Equibase. Equibase. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  5. Hegarty, Matt (August 2, 2021). "Fairmount legend David Gall, the fifth leading rider of all-time, dies at 79". DRF. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  6. Kieckhefer, Bob (August 2, 2021). "Fifth-Winningest North American Jockey Gall Dies at 79; David Gall led all North American riders, ranked by wins, in 1979 and 1981". BloodHorse. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
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